The Progress., 1887-12-24

yawn ng gulf Of misfortune.
II Was possible to imagine himself sue
cessful fellow, bustling about with a good,
natured on,emp5 for all smaller fry But
the probabilities were that his past would
duplicate itself in endless repetitiona And
meanwhile the snow, the wilderness and his
unpeopled cabin were all his portion-all
the present leverage he had upon the re-
sisting future
The lone man, his eyes swimming in
blind fa1ntness, had just sunk fiat upon his
couch again, when some muff1ed object
bumped against his door, He turned his
head to take Indifferent heed of the fact,
but not an instant for conjecturing was al
lowed him. A woman's voice pleading and
screaming, wOman's hands fumbling and
pounding. brought him up to reel and
stagger directly to her ~ssr.l
He undid the fastenings and she few in
side like deer, Immediately bracing her
self against the door. ~ s
Lock this door qulck!" she pleaded
mo lock to it," explained Steve, replacing
his seasoned bars in their sockets SCOT to
bar it this way. I wasn't old Vanderbilt
when put up this palace Couldn't afford
fancy nickel and iron work -.. ~
He sat down suddenly on the end of his
couch. -
@Now hide me-" she demanded, letting the
cloak fall off her head and piercing him
with the largest, blackest eyes he had ever
seen.
sGe-whizz!" calculated Steve, bracing
himself up with his hands on the DO es at
each side of him "Where could hide you
in this place? Look up, and there's the
the logs"
eWhat's in the trunksn
Mighty little of any thing When
recollect what used to be in that trunk when
! first came into the woods, and what amt
in it now, it makes me feel bad"
The woman threw up the lid and crouched
inside. So gu ckly had her whisking
drapery disappeared that Steve wondered
it he were in one of his walking dreams,
which Of summer nights sometimes lured
him out of his cabin into the woods She
kept the lid moment raised to whisper
through the opening:
Don't let him get mech don't let him
get met"
ANY fellow that would chase any thing
through this snow," observed B anymore,
must be keen for hunt You didn't foot
it from the station, did you?"
She had lowered the trunk lid, but raised
it again to make crack through which
she replied:
Il waded up the mountain, into the
woods, as fast as I could wade TO hide
somewhere from that man"
What fellow is it?" inquired Steve
The trunk lid rose again softly, and her
voice Missed through:
at is satan!"t
"Pn bet peck Of potatoes" said Steve,
that I'm dream n all this My heads as
light as feather, and it just blows from
side to side. I'll put on another chunk of
wood and get some light on the subject.
AS be set some roots to blazing, their light
spread over his face like wave of merri-
| mentl '-.,.. a&.5 r.
| ''This is more fun than going to the ball, y
he murmured. I'm having Christmas doin's
right here to home. Guess I'll load my
gun-if there's huntin' tonight" !"
He reached for his gun-case, took out it's
shining barrels, which were polished like
silver, and began to fit the parts together,
laying bis cartridges ready for insertion
The artistic part of the lone mans house
keeping was his care of his gun. No maid
| loved her ornaments more, no matron
| devoted more on hair looms in sterling
silver than Steve on his gun His best
shirts had gone towards rubbing it to its
present high perfection.
| As BEFORE there was first muff1ed bump
! against the door and then prolonged rap
ping.
who's there?" cried the lone man The
! trunk quite closed, if it's inmate pre-
| ferred snothering to discovery
4The law of the State of California" re-
| turned robust voice
sWhat does the law want?"
sit wants this door opened"
@The laws like me-" observed the lone
man. eIt wants a heap Of things it don't
! getn
| There's woman in th1s cabin
| First time one ever saw the inside Of it,
them
IT saw the door opened"
Yes, often look out to see what time
| o. night it is, /" said Steve.
aOpen and let me in" commanded his be-
sieger. I'm not here to par1ey."
| If you amt got any errand, you better
put out again, !" suggested the lone man
''This is my cabin and my claim hain't
sent out any cards amt to home"
/ The outsider uttered some resoundine
sentences. When these settled to the level
of threatening they pointed out such dam
gers as the following: 0
why, I can kick your miserable door
down I can knock the chinking out of the
walls and shoot you through the cracks ]
can get on your roof and stamp it through 9
May be you could build q better house
than I've got, said Steve, with sarcasm
You don't know what you're doing. And
i you don't want to get into trouble with q
man like me. Ihave the law on my side. ]
/ want my wife out of this cabin and I'm
going to have her out"
sNice husband you must be, Mr. Law,
/ said the lone man, to be out with gun
tracking your wife through the snow like
as if she was rabbit
At this the outsider set his heel nightly
/ against the door. The wooden bars held it;
but Steve saw them with the repeated kicks
i loosening in their sockets He lifted his
ready gun to his eye, but lowered it with a
| growl and shake Of his head. He felt strong
/ and angry. His weakness and nausea were
gone His blood shot like fire through it's
courses. and he felt ready for emergency
Emergency In the shape Of . big, furious
kr.rcf the r,r.y